


Fire on Fire

by Poetinprogress1234



Category: Legacies (TV 2018)
Genre: A lot - Freeform, F/F, Hope needs a hug, Jade is the twins step sister, Josie Needs a Hug, Penelope is disowned, Penelope needs a hug, so they hug each other
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-25
Updated: 2021-01-17
Packaged: 2021-03-04 04:09:39
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 6,478
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24917380
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Poetinprogress1234/pseuds/Poetinprogress1234
Summary: *What Penelope was told to do at Camp Salvatore: have fun, make friends, stay out of trouble.*What Penelope actually did: Started a prank war, drank her own weight in alcohol, fell in love with two of the most beautiful girls she'd ever met.Her parents were not going to be pleased.orPhosie summer camp au
Relationships: Hope Mikaelson & Lizzie Saltzman, Hope Mikaelson/Josie Saltzman, Hope Mikaelson/Penelope Park, Josie Saltzman & Lizzie Saltzman, Milton "MG" Greasley/Lizzie Saltzman, Penelope Park/Josie Saltzman
Comments: 17
Kudos: 128





	1. Chapter 1

Penelope had been in the state of Virginia for approximately two days before her mother had asked her to repack her bags, ushered Penelope back into the car, and sent her away. The older woman, who resembled Penelope in a way that made the girl's stomach ache, had assured her skeptical daughter that Camp Salvatore would be a positive experience. "View it as an opportunity to make some friends before school starts." she'd suggested with a feigned smile and enough synthetic sweetness to make Penelope's teeth hurt in sympathy. Behind her mother's excuses, Penelope had the suspicion that there were other reasons Joanna had been so eager to pawn Penelope off so quickly after she had arrived. When her father had sent Penelope to her estranged mother's house after kicking her out of his own, Penelope hadn't expected the warmest of welcomes; She had, however, hoped that her biological mother would have at least wanted to meet her. Penelope yearned to know the elusive woman that had birthed her- maybe even get answers to the many questions swimming around in Penelope's head- but her mother's plans to send her away had given the woman another nine weeks to ignore Penelope's existence. Between her mother's standoffish behavior and her father ignoring her every text message and call since he had dropped her off at the airport, Penelope had never felt more unwanted or unloved in her life.

Camp Salvatore was much larger than any other summer camp that Penelope had been to in her youth. The gated community of cabins and sprawling acres of land resided in the middle of nowhere, as far as Penelope could tell. There were no other towns around the place, blanketed in a canopy of woods instead. It reminded Penelope of the beginning of a horror movie, exempt from the hundreds of happy campers overtaking the campgrounds. The amount of chatter and laughter around her made Penelope's headache already, and there were still more kids being dropped off around her. Penelope stood in the middle of the happy reunions and excited conversation, fighting the feeling of being completely out of place. It was then that the girl realized she had no idea what to do next; Her mother had given Penelope no other information about the camp, leaving her lost in the shuffle of all the other more experienced campers. Not wanting to stick out more than she already did, Penelope held onto the handle of her suitcase tightly, searching for some kind of indication of what she was expected to do next. She had just found a map of the campgrounds and began to examine it before a pointed fingernail tapped Penelope's shoulder harshly. Penelope turned quickly towards the intruder, disorienting herself in the process. 

Once Penelope's vision returned to normal, she came face to face with a pair of girls that appeared to be around her age. One was a displeased looking blonde, her fingertips tapping away at her phone's screen, and the other was what Penelope could only describe as the human embodiment of sunshine. Everything about the brunette screamed optimism- from her positive disposition to the peace sign shirt she was wearing under her overalls, to the broad smile that she was aiming Penelope's way. "Hi! I'm Josette, but everyone just calls me Josie.", the brunette greeted, her voice dripping with unbridled enthusiasm. "This is my sister, Lizzie. Well, she's my twin; Fraternal, of course." When the blonde next to her hadn't made a move to greet Penelope, Josie nudged her to get Lizzie's attention. The blonde glanced up, gave Penelope a forced smile, then trained her attention back to the phone in her hands. Satisfied, Josie shifted her attention back to Penelope. "Anyway, welcome to camp Salvatore!", she exclaimed, throwing her arms up excitedly with a giggle. When Josie regained her composure, she cocked a curious eyebrow at the girl in front of her. "You must be a new camper, am I correct?" 

Penelope ignored the flush of embarrassment in her cheeks, rolling her eyes at the bubbly brunette before crossing her arms over her chest. "Is it that obvious?", Penelope barked sarcastically, her eyes narrowing at Josie sternly. "I thought I was doing a pretty good job blending in." Josie, who either did not understand Penelope's sarcasm or didn't care to acknowledge it, simply laughed off Penelope's words. "It's alright- we were all new campers once.", Josie explains, gesturing for Penelope to follow her through the camp. "That's why Lizzie and I started giving tours to new campers; Our stepdad owns this place, so we know it better than anyone." Josie continued to speak, but Penelope was no longer listening to her. Instead, she glanced out across the lake peeking out from behind the row of cabins, admiring the way the afternoon sun reflected off the calm, clear water. If she was back home in California, Penelope would be spending her first days of summer vacation laid out on the beach, surrounded by her friends; It was their summer tradition. Penelope swallowed hard, biting her lip between her teeth. How long would it be before they realized she was gone? How would they feel when they realized Penelope wasn't coming back home? Penelope shook the ideas from her head, covertly wiping away unshed tears from her eyes. The last thing Penelope wanted to do on her first day in a brand new environment was to seem weak. Besides, thinking of the goodbye she never had hurt Penelope more than she could bear. 

"-And this here is your cabin.", Josie finished, reeling in Penelope's attention once again. "You're bunking with Hope, Wendy, and Jade. Don't worry, they're harmless." Lizzie scoffed beside her sister, rolling her eyes without looking up from her phone. "Don't let them hear you say that; We both know how territorial Hope can be." The phone chimed, and Penelope witnessed the blonde smile for the first time since she'd met her. "You can finish this tour up by yourself, right Jo? Sebastian just arrived and we have some unfinished business to attend to." Josie grimaced, shaking her head at her sister's insinuations. "Oh God, Lizzie, just go. I do not want to hear about yours and Sebastian's escapades." Lizzie laughed, blowing a kiss at her sister before running to search for what Penelope assumed to be her boyfriend. Josie turned to Penelope, shrugging her shoulders with a small smile. "Looks like it's just you and me now.", she stated, ascending the steps and entering the cabin door. "C'mon- you're the first one in your cabin to arrive, which means you get to pick your bed." Penelope nodded indifferently, following Josie into the cabin.

It was a nicely sized space to be shared between four girls; Four beds sat in the corners of the rooms, a lone bathroom dividing the left side from the right. Under each bed was storage for their belongings, and each bed was already fitted with bedding sporting the Salvatore logo. Penelope set her suitcase on the bed, resting down beside it with a labored sigh. For the first time in four days, Penelope felt like she could finally relax. Josie stood awkwardly in the corner, shifting from foot to foot before Penelope acknowledged her with a curious glance. "I'm sorry about my sister.", Josie apologized, clasping her hands together behind her back. "She can be a little abrasive." "Don't worry, Josie.", Penelope assured her with a humorless chuckle. "I've encountered a lot worse." Josie swallowed hard. "I have to go do my next tour.", she announced, awkwardly shuffling to the door. Before she left, she turned back to Penelope cautiously. "I'll see you around, Penelope." Before Penelope could say goodbye, Josie was already out the door. 

Penelope sighed, opening up her suitcase and rifling through the clothes she had brought. Tucked between a pair of shorts and a t-shirt was the item Penelope was looking for- a polaroid picture of Penelope and her friends back home, during a better, less confusing time of Penelope's life. She ran her fingertips over the image of one face in particular, tears springing to her eyes. When Penelope closed her eyes, she could almost see the bright blue eyes she loved so much, could feel the strands of pink hair against her fingertips. When she opened her eyes, however, she was left with the realization that she would probably never see the person she had loved again. Penelope turned over the photo, sniffling as she read the scratchy handwriting scrawled on the back: 

The one thing they can't ever take from us is our memories. Make as many beautiful memories as you can, xx Ava


	2. Chapter 2

1 year earlier   
______________________________________________________  
Penelope popped out from under the surface of the water, taking in a gasping breath as she opened her eyes toward the summer sun. She felt the splash of the water behind her as the boys continued their tense game of water polo, wading away from their shouts and towards the lone person sitting at the edge of the pool. As she approached, Penelope cupped a handful of water into her palms and splashed it in her friend's direction, laughing as Ava screeched about her notebook getting wet. The girl scowled as Penelope approached, kicking out her feet in retaliation, which Penelope easily grabbed to stop the action. "Are you sure you can't just come in and not get your hair wet?", Penelope asked, sticking her bottom lip out into a pout to try and sway Ava's actions. The girl shook her head, gazing upon Penelope with a fondness that never failed to make Penelope's heart skip a beat. "And have my mom yell about how I wasted 60 dollars worth of hair dye in one day? I don't think so.", Ava quipped, causing Penelope to sigh heavily. "But, now that you're here, I do have something for you." The girl motioned for Penelope to stay put before getting up from the edge of the pool and retrieving something from her bag. Penelope let out a hearty laugh when she saw what Ava was holding in her hands. 

"A fortune teller, Aves? Are you serious?", Penelope asked quizically, moving so that Ava could sit comfortably in front of her without risking kicking Penelope in the face. Ava rolled her eyes, sticking her tongue out at her friend as she opened the paper device. "C'mon, Pen, humor me.", she begged, sitting so that Penelope was slotted comfortably between her legs. One of her feet slid against Penelope's unclothed stomach, making the girl shiver from more than just the cold. "Don't you want to see what your future holds?" Penelope sighed, relenting to her friend's persuasions. "Fine, fine; But if it says I'm ending up marrying Cody or something, I'm dragging you in this pool, hair dye or not." Ava giggled, flicking the device back and forth a couple of times. "Okay, noted.", she agreed, turning toward Penelope. "Pick a number." Penelope thought to herself for a moment before answering. "Six, I guess.", she replied, to which Ava hummed before inputting the number. "And for the second one?", she questioned, earning a half-hearted answer from Penelope. The girl bent the device down to Penelope's level, showing her the four color choices withholding the last answer. Penelope pointed to the purple square, and Ava opened the paper accordingly. She cleared her throat nervously before watching Penelope with a serious expression. 

"Where ever you go, whatever you do, may love and light follow you.", she read, pausing slightly after saying so, her eyes lingering on Penelope's. Penelope stood silent for a moment, the rest of the sounds coming from the backyard drowning out so that only she and Ava remained. Penelope could see the look in Ava's eyes- it was the same sad, longing look that she gave her every time she wanted to kiss her, yet couldn't. It was in these moments herself that Penelope wished that she was out of the closet already, just to be able to freely grab Ava's hand and pull her into a searing kiss. Ava bit her lip between her teeth, smoothing the wet hair away from Penelope's face lovingly. Hoping that the boys behind them were still distracted, Penelope brought Ava's hand to her lips, leaving a chaste kiss on the back of it. When she looked up, Ava was smiling, the mid-afternoon sun making a halo around her purple hair. Penelope felt Ava's legs wrap around her waist, pulling her closer to the edge of the pool. "You're a dork.", Penelope commented, shaking her head at the girl in front of her. Ava simply shrugged her shoulders, a coy smile on her face. 

"Only for you, Pen- only for you."  
_____________________________________________________________  
Day 1, 7:15pm  
_____________________________________________________________  
Penelope awoke with a start, opening her eyes to be greeted with the sight of an unfamiliar blonde standing by her bed. When she realized that Penelope had awoken, the blonde let go of a relieved sigh. "Thank god; I was thinking I'd have to pour water on you or something. Did anyone ever tell you that you're a heavy sleeper?", the blonde spoke, crossing her arms across her chest. Penelope wiped the sleep from her eyes, sitting up as she became accustomed to her surroundings once again. "A few times, actually.", Penelope mumbled, glancing down at the watch on her wrist. "Who are you exactly, and why is waking me up right now necessary?" The blonde laughed, pulling up her hair into a messy bun. "My name is Jade, and I'm guessing you're Penelope since I already know the other two people in this cabin.", the blonde explained, letting her arms fall loosely against her sides once again. "And I'm waking you because Introduction is tonight, and if you want any chance of knowing who anybody is in this place, you don't miss Introduction." The blonde checked her lipgloss in a tiny compact mirror before heading to the door. "If you can manage to get ready in the next five minutes, I can walk you down to the event hall. Wendy and Hope already left, but lucky for you I'm kind enough to not let you walk in like a total nobody." "Wow, thanks.", Penelope groaned, kicking off the covers and sitting upright on the mattress. "However will I repay such a kindness?" Instead of becoming offended, Jade simply laughed. "You're a snarky one; Good, you'll fit in with us just fine.", Jade quipped, motioning to the bathroom door. "Your five minutes starts now. After that, you're on your own." Penelope sighed, begrudgingly entering the bathroom and closing the door behind herself with a wooden thud. 

Penelope had the feeling it was going to be a long night.   
___________________________________________________________________  
"Well, it's about time, J.", a voice yelled, approaching Jade and Penelope the second they entered the door. The owner of the voice swallowed Jade into a bone-crushing hug, making the blonde laugh from within the girl's arms. "Okay, Wendy, damn", Jade exclaimed, pulling herself away from the raven-haired girl. "You act like we haven't facetimed every day for the last nine months." The girl laughed, swatting Jade playfully on the shoulder. "It's not the same as being able to see you in person though.", she admitted, to which Jade nodded solemnly in agreement. It was then that Jade remembered that Penelope was standing awkwardly at her side, so she turned to introduce the two. "Wendy, this is Penelope. She's a smartass.", Jade commented, earning an eye roll from the girl in question. "Penelope, this is Wendy. She, too, is a smartass; She's also a total sweetheart when she wants to be." Wendy aimed a smile and a wave towards Penelope, the brightness of her smile clashing against her red lipstick. "It's nice to meet you, Penelope. Don't be too intimidated by Jade here- she's all bark and no bite.", Wendy assured her, to with Jade gasped dramatically in offense. Wendy ignored her. "I can't say the same for Hope, but...well, you'll meet her soon enough. She's somewhere around here; Probably trying to score weed from one of the guys." "Is that a common thing around here?", Penelope asked curiously, watching as Jade and Wendy shared a knowing look. The two girls shrugged. "Well, for Hope it is." 

The loud feedback from the microphone on stage screeched over the speakers, causing the children gathered inside to groan and cover their ears. The man onstage adjusted the mic, relieving their ears. "Attention campers new and old! Welcome to Camp Salvatore. My name is Stefan Salvatore, and this here is my lovely wife Caroline.", the man explained, earning some clapping- and a few wolf whistles- from the campers. Stefan and Caroline, obviously used to the attention, did not react. "We are the directors of this camp and its program. This camp has been open for forty-five years, and with the enthusiasm from campers like you, I'm sure it will be open for many more. This is a place of expression, comradery, and friendship; You are free to be yourselves here." The campers cheered, while Penelope simply shrank deeper into her hoodie. "There are, however, a few rules we have here at Camp Salvatore. The first is to be kind to each other- I think that's a pretty simple one to follow. The second is that curfew is at 11 pm. At that time, the girls will be in their cabins and the boys must be in theirs. No person of the opposite gender may sleep in each others cabin. There is no alcohol or drugs permitted on campus. There will be no destruction of property, either- although the mustache on the camp statue was pretty humorous last year." The room fell into an uproar, to which the man had to reign back in. "These are our rules, and you are expected to follow them. We can still have fun while staying safe." Stefan turned to the side, holding his arm out in a welcoming gesture. "And now for my longest-time campers to share a little with you about our wonderful camp." 

"Welcome to the stage my stepdaughters Josette and Elizabeth Saltzman, and my lovely daughter, Jade Salvatore."


	3. Chapter 3

2 years earlier  
__________________________________________________________________  
The original plan had been for Penelope to blend in; She had wanted specifically to not call attention to herself, to stay under the radar in terms of the high school hierarchy. In true Penelope Park fashion, however, she had somehow ended up pissing off one of the senior girls by simply existing, leading to her original plan going up in flames. What the elder girl had against the small freshman, Penelope had no clue; She couldn't think of anything she had done in the last thirty-two hours to warrant such hostility, but that didn't change the fact that she was now on the senior's hit list. Which meant Penelope needed a hiding place, and she needed to find one fast. Penelope left her last class before her lunch period early, giving her a few spare moments to find a location she could safely stay out of the way until class started once again. Her first choice had been the library, but the sternest librarian was guarding the front entrance, checking student IDs. Since Penelope very clearly had a freshman ID, she would not be allowed into the library during other classes allowed time. Penelope grimaced at the idea of spending the whole lunch period locked in the bathrooms like a coward, but she knew her time was dwindling fast. If she didn't get out of the open now, she was toast. That was when, by the grace of the universe, Penelope noticed that the entrance to the auditorium was left slightly ajar. Relieved, Penelope slipped inside before pulling the door firmly closed behind her. 

It wasn't Penelope's first time inside the auditorium; She'd been there only a few days earlier with her father and stepmother for freshman orientation. At that time, however, it had been bright and crowded with students. Without the background noise of shuffling feet and conversation, Penelope could hear her every footfall against the wooden floorboards. The room was only barely lit, allowing Penelope to have a view distance of only about a few inches in front of herself. She shuffled past the stage, eager to hideout in the very back row where she was less likely to be found when a bright spotlight shone down upon her. Penelope froze where she stood, shielding her eyes to block them from the intensity of the light. At first, she was afraid that a teacher had come in and caught her, but when Penelope looked up she realized that a lone girl was standing in the rafters, staring down at her. "Hey, only the tech crew is supposed to be here right now!", she girl yelled, her shadow changing to a disapproving stance. "Since you're very clearly not my tech crew, I'd start explaining why exactly you are here." Penelope sputtered out an excuse, tripping over her own words to explain herself to the mystery figure before said figure began to laugh at her. "Yo, relax; I'm just kidding- my crew is all in class right now anyway." The figure disappeared from the rafters before reappearing from backstage moments later. "Sorry to scare you- the look on your face was priceless though. I needed a laugh like that today.", a girl shorter than Penelope with bright pink hair and piercing blue eyes exclaimed, before jumping down off the stage and landing where Penelope was still standing. The girl corrected her balance quickly before holding out a hand for Penelope to shake. "Name's Haven, but I hate that name, so you can just call me Ava." Penelope shook the girl's hand, relieved that she had not been caught as she'd previously believed. She wasn't exactly sure what it was, but there was something about this girl that Penelope found herself enjoying.

"Nice to meet you, Ava. My name is Penelope."  
_______________________________________________________________  
Day 2, 8:15 am  
_______________________________________________________________  
"Alright, Campers, today's exercise is all about teamwork; And what better way is there to practice working together than a good old fashioned scavenger hunt?", the counselor, Emma, exclaimed while clapping her hands together excitedly. Beside her, Penelope could hear practically hear Jade and Wendy rolling their eyes. Emma paused, scanning over the group of children before her smile fell into a frown. "Does anyone know where Miss Mikaelson is exactly?", she asked, sighing when she didn't get an answer back. "Alright, I suppose that Rafael can fill in her place on the blue team. Anyways, today you will split into five teams- one for each color flag I have in front of me." Emma held up the plastic flags, each one a different color: red, green, blue, yellow, and purple. "The first three teams to bring back all six of their colored flag will be rewarded with smores after dinner tonight." The attention of the group heightened, every camper now motivated to participate in Emma's game. Emma smiled, flipping through the clipboard in her hands. "Red team- Elizabeth, George, Hailey, Justin, Rachel, Lily, Sadie, Matthew, Ella, Christiana, and Nala. Blue Team- Penelope, Kristy, Eleanor, Ryan, Josie, Emmett, Rafael, Landon, Julie, and Drake. Green team- Jade, Ashwin, Mika, Jasper, Wendy, Elysia, Kellan, Autumn, Remi, and Isaac. Yellow team- Kaleb, Diego, Rosalie, Theo, Kira, Piper, Male and Female Frankie, Nyla, and Octavia. Purple team- Milton, Brandon, Charlie, Helena, Tess, Jaiden, myself, Demi, and Alivia." The room shuffled around as each person went to their assigned group, and Penelope reluctantly left her seat to stand by hers. To her side, the girl she had met yesterday- Josie- gave her a friendly wave. Emma clicked the stopwatch in her hands before addressing the groups one last time. "Three...two...one...go!" The campers, nearly trampling over the other, exited the cabin, running off in opposite directions. Penelope hesitated, but before she could try to sneak away, Josie turned back, giving her a questioning look. 

"Don't you want to compete?", She asked kindly, tilting her head at Penelope curiously. The latter girl simply shrugged, peeling the nail polish off her fingernails nervously. Josie's smile softened, and she stepped closer to Penelope's side. "I do that too- when I'm uncomfortable.", Josie admitted, causing Penelope to hide her hands behind her back when her habit had attention called to it. "You can stick with me, okay? I'm sure we'd make a great team." Josie watched Penelope's reaction carefully, almost expectantly. Part of Penelope wanted to yell at Josie, to scold her for even thinking that Penelope needed her pity or her comfort. There was something about the hopeful gleam in Josie's eyes, however, and the hand she had held out for Penelope to take, that made it impossible for Penelope to do so. Penelope nodded, taking Josie's hand, her fingers brushing against the rainbow ring on Josie's middle finger as she did so. She could be teammates with Josie- after all, just because she was Josie's partner for one stupid exercise didn't mean anything, right? Before Penelope could change her mind, Josie was dragging her out of the cabin and into the summer sun.

The first flag had been the easiest to find- Josie had spotted it hanging out of a nearby tree almost immediately. She'd boosted Penelope up, and the smaller girl was able to grab it off of the branch it was hooked on. The next had been trickier, the color of their flag blending in against the water it was planted in front of. As soon as they'd retrieved it from the lakefront, however, they'd been off in search of the next one. By the time they'd found the fifth flag, Penelope had to admit that she liked being around Josie. It was impossible to be her normally gloomy self with Josie encouraging her around every corner, her cheerful optimism never faultering for even a second. When they'd found three of the flags they waited at the front of the cabin until their other teammates arrived, carrying the other three flags. 

When they arrived, Emma's assistant Lucy was there to greet them, taking the six flags from the very excited campers. "Congratulations, group two.", she said, smiling as the campers high-fived each other for a job well done. "You are the first group back with all six flags. Dorian is down by the lake- you can rest there until the other groups are done." Josie turned to Penelope, tapping her shoulder with enthusiasm. "See? Told you we would make a good team!", Josie exclaimed, causing Penelope to laugh at her earnestly. Being around Josie made her feel just a little more youthful, and a lot more free. She let the tension drop in her shoulders, giving Josie a sheepish smile.

"Yeah, I guess you were right."


	4. Chapter 4

9 years earlier  
______________________________________________________________  
"Come here, Penny girl.", Mathias Park called out to his daughter, pulling the giggling seven-year-old into his arms. Penelope sat back on his lap comfortably, content as her father set the guitar by his side over her lap. She ran her fingers over the wood carefully, admiring the delicate carvings in its neck. "Now, this here guitar is very old and fragile.", the man warned, earning a nod from the girl on his lap. "So I need you to be very careful." Mathias took his daughter's hands, curling her tiny fingers around the guitar strings. "This here is the g chord. Put your fingers here- no, penny, right here sweetheart. Good job!", Mathias directed, strumming his hand down the guitar strings. Penelope gasped as the strings reverberated under her fingertips, creating a pleasing sound. Mathias laughed as the girl clapped her hands excitedly. "Now, we'll play the A chord. Just line your fingers up all in a row right there." Penelope did so, and her father strummed the guitar again, making a different sound. Penelope squealed happily, causing her father to chuckle behind her. "That's my bright little girl.", he commented, pride in his eyes as he watched Penelope switch between the two chords. "Keep going like that, and you're gonna be a musician just like your daddy was." "Was mommy a musician too?", Penelope asked in a small voice, looking up at her dad hopefully. Mathias tensed, taking the guitar from his daughter and pushing her off of his lap. Penelope tumbled to the floor, crying out when her tiny body made contact with the ground. She looked up at her father in fear, cowering under the cold look in his eyes.

"Your mother wasn't anything worth mentioning.", he growled, towering over the small girl. Penelope wiped away the tears from her eyes, still seated where she fell on the floor. "You know better than to ask about her! Don't ask about her again- do you understand me, Penelope?!" Penelope nodded her head quickly, sniffling loudly as tears rolled down her face. Mathias stormed out of the living room, leaving Penelope alone on the floor. The child curled up against the front of the couch, her knees to her chest as she shook violently. Penelope didn't understand why her father was always so mean when she asked about her mother, but she wished now that she hadn't said anything at all. As much as she wanted to know about who her mom was, she knew it only angered her father. He had always said that Penelope was lucky that she didn't know her, that Penelope's mother was a terrible person, and that he had saved Penelope from her evil ways. To Penelope, she sounded like the villain from a storybook- someone to be scared of- but Penelope had seen pictures of her. In them, she was always smiling- gardening, dancing, blowing kisses at the camera. When her father was pictured next to her, he had the same adoring gleam in his eyes that he got when he looked at Penelope, calling her his special girl. How could her father ever love a bad person?

And if her mom was as evil as her father claimed, did that make Penelope evil, too?  
____________________________________________________________________________  
Day 5, 8:15pm   
____________________________________________________________________________  
"You have to come, Pen!", Wendy exclaimed, pouting at the younger girl childishly. "Everyone is going to be there, and it's the first after-hours party of the year." "Yeah, if you don't come, everyone is going to think that you're a nerd that follows all the rules like my sister." Penelope rolled her eyes, shifting her attention back to the journal she was writing in. Maybe at one time, Penelope had cared about what others thought of her, but those days were long over. It was like Ava had always said- "They're going to judge you regardless, so you might as well give them something good to judge." Penelope frowned, pangs of nostalgia hitting her like a stray bullet. She made a note in the corner of her page to ask the counselors for a mailing envelope. "What if I told you there will be alcohol?", Jade persuaded, catching Penelope's attention also instantaneously. Penelope wasn't an alcoholic by any means, but she had been craving a drink since she'd been kicked out of her father's house over a week before. Penelope thought to herself for a minute, devising a quick-witted plan; She could go to the party with Jade and Wendy, satisfy her craving, and be back in bed before any of the counselors could realize she was gone. The other campers would know that she wasn't a goody-two-shoes girl, plus it would get Jade and Wendy off her back. Penelope sighed heavily, closing the journal and setting it aside. "If we get caught for this," Penelope stated, sternly looking between the two girls, "I'm putting all the blame on the two of you."

The party was located in a patch of woods just outside of the campgrounds, and when they'd arrived, the space was already littered with people. Fairy lights illuminated the area, a large bonfire roaring in the middle. Music blasted from a speaker on the ground, just loud enough that they could hear it, but not loud enough that their counselors could. "It's just for courtesy.", Jade explained, handing a red solo cup to Penelope. "My dad has known about these parties for years. As long as we keep the younger campers away, he tends to turn a blind eye." Penelope took a sip out of the cup, grimacing at the taste. She was both shocked and delighted by how strong the concoction was. "How did you guys sneak so much liquor in here?", she asked, to which Jade simply smirked, a devious glint in her eyes. "We have a sort of a deal with the town a few hours out.", Wendy explains, taking a sip from her cup. "We pay a premium, and they stock us for the summer." Penelope nodded, nursing the cup as she watched the crowds of campers pass them by. A small group of boys beside the bonfire caught her attention quickly- or more so the silver guitar in their possession. It sounded horribly out of tune, enough that the sound of it burned in Penelope's ears. Penelope drained the cup before stepping up to them. 

"Hey, do you mind?", she asked with a small smile, attempting to appear friendly to the boys. The boys looked between each other before nodding, handing the guitar over to Penelope. The girl took the neck gently in one hand, resting the base against her lap. She listened carefully, twisting the knobs at the top back and forth until each key sounded right. She strummed down on the strings twice, satisfied when the sound was unified. "You seem to know a lot about that.", the boy commented, pushing his curly black hair out of his face. "Do you maybe want to play something?" Penelope began to object until she realized a crowd had formed around them, Wendy and Jade silently cheering her on toward the back. Penelope tested the strings a few more times before taking a deep breath, playing the first few chords of the first song that came to her mind. Then, she began to sing. 

I met you in the dark, you lit me up  
You made me feel as though I was enough  
We danced the night away, we drank too much  
I held your hair back when  
You were throwing up  
Then you smiled over your shoulder  
For a minute, I was stone-cold sober  
I pulled you closer to my chest  
And you asked me to stay over  
I said, I already told ya  
I think that you should get some rest

A memory flashed before Penelope's eyes: Herself, on her fifteenth birthday, and Ava, placing a new guitar into her hands. It was a fender just like the one she had grown up playing, but newer, her name embroidered into the strap. It was the best present she had ever received, and Penelope had to convince herself that the moment was real. She had been overwhelmed with emotion, unsure of how she could repay such kindness. And Ava- glimmering eyes, brighter smile, her hand gently placed over Penelope's- had only asked for a song in return. And when she'd finished playing, the kiss they'd shared was sweet, the guitar placed aside as Penelope brought her hands up to rest around Ava's neck. And when they'd pulled away, Penelope reluctantly let her go, smiling.

I knew I loved you then  
But you'd never know  
'Cause I played it cool when I was scared of letting go  
I know I needed you  
But I never showed  
But I wanna stay with you until we're grey and old  
Just say you won't let go  
Just say you won't let go

When Penelope came back to the present moment, the campers surrounding her clapped, their cheers sounding around her. Penelope thanked them shyly, shoving the guitar back into the boy's hands before walking away. She ignored Jade and Wendy's questions as to where she was going, holding back her tears until she was hidden in a canopy of trees. Panic gripped her chest, her heart beating fast against her skin. Penelope hated remembering the good memories almost as much as the bad. Whenever she saw Ava's smile in her mind, she also saw the terror in her eyes on that fateful night that Penelope's father had dragged her away. Maybe if she'd gotten a goodbye, Penelope thought. Maybe if she'd gotten even a simple goodbye, it wouldn't hurt so much to know she'd never see her best friend- her first love- again. The bushes that Penelope had come in from rustled, and before Penelope could react, another figure had joined her in the woods. The girl's eyes widened, her cheeks flushing pink with embarrassment to have walked in on the crying girl. 

"Sorry, this spot is normally empty.", the girl spoke, green eyes avoiding Penelope's own. "I can come back." Penelope wiped the tears from her eyes roughly, clearing her throat loudly. "No, you can stay. I was just about to leave.", Penelope lied, wrapping her arms protectively around herself. Recognition lit up in the girl's eyes. "You're the girl with the guitar, right?", she asked, stepping closer to Penelope. "I mean, I might be high, but I'm not high enough to forget a performance like that." "Yeah, that was me.", Penelope confirmed, watching curiously as the girl lit a cigarette, placing it between her lips. "You're not half bad. A little shaky on your chord progression, but not everyone can be Jimi Hendrix." The girl let her auburn hair down from its hairband, holding out a manicured hand for Penelope to shake. 

"I'm Hope, by the way. Hope Mikaelson."


	5. I think I owe you all an apology...

Hi, everyone. It's been a while since we talked. I'm very sorry about that. Once the pandemic hit, a lot of things went on the backburner- my writing included. I've been so majorly stressed out with family, Corona, and then the holidays that I haven't had the mental clarity to write anything. 2020 was rough. I moved out of my mother's house, started a whole new life in a new city, and learned a lot of lessons and met a lot of people along the way. Now i'm ready to say goodbye to 2020 and get back to doing what I love- creating stories to entertain all of you. Please bear with me as I sort myself out and get everything together for the near future. Updates will be slow and infrequent- as they've always been- but I promise to put the very best of myself into every chapter, every paragraph, and every line. I'm glad to be back, and I hope you join me in this new and exciting chapter of my life. 

Love Always, Iries.


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